A Skewen couple have praised Neath Port Talbot Council’s Japanese Knotweed Management and Treatment Service after using it helped them complete a house move which was being held up by knotweed problems.
And the couple also said they were impressed by the “amazingly competitive” pricing offered by the Council and the “outstanding service” they got from staff.
Thanks to its innocent-looking creamy, white flowers Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) was introduced to Britain from the Far East by Victorian explorers.
But it burst from manicured gardens and has shown its true colours as a hard-to-kill pest whose quick growing, easily spread stems can burrow through cracked concrete, tarmac and brickwork.
Earlier this year, Neath Port Talbot Council established a Japanese Knotweed Management and Treatment Service to help people locally deal with the runaway plant.
And the couple from Skewen became one of its first customers when the planned sale of their house looked like being derailed after the presence of Japanese Knotweed on an adjacent property meant mortgage providers were reluctant to hand money over to their prospective buyers.
They went to the Council for help and the problem was quickly resolved by staff from the treatment and management service who thrashed out a detailed management plan for the weed – with all the paper work to go with it.
The mortgage company accepted the Council’s treatment plan “without question” and the sale went through successfully.
In a letter to the Council’s Environment Dept. the satisfied couple said: “My wife and I would like to express our sincere thanks for the outstanding service we got from members of your department.
“I’ve no doubt that without their speedy and efficient responses to our problems the sale process would have collapsed and we would have been unable to sell the property until the Knotweed problem was resolved.
“An additional bonus was that the cost of the programme was amazingly competitive.
“In my experience it’s very unusual to find people able and willing to carry out their jobs with such a high level of capability and enthusiasm as that shown by your staff.
“My experience of your organisation compares most favourably with my recent experiences of private sector companies in various industries. It’s even more remarkable when one considers the severe financial constraints imposed on public authorities by the central government.”
Councillor Des Davies, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet member for community safety and protection, said: “When Japanese Knotweed is identified on a property, a mortgage provider will often refuse to lend. Some mortgage providers may lend only if a management plan is in place.
“This is because the knotweed is an unacceptable risk to certain lenders. Japanese Knotweed, if left untreated, can cause significant damage and depreciation to property.”
The Council’s treatment service can be reached via its website at https://www.npt.gov.uk/japaneseknotweed
It is only a “paid-for” service rather than dealing with complaints about neighbouring properties (which are civil law issues, or private disputes). It is also restricted at present to residential gardens.
The council can however be invited onto land by landowners to initially give a quotation. If land owners accept the quote and wish to proceed they pay online and the council will attend and provide a management and treatment plan, and commence treatment.
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Canmoliaeth uchel i gyngor ar ôl iddynt ddatod clymau cwpl
Mae cwpl o Sgiwen wedi canmol Gwasanaeth Rheoli a Thrin Canclwm Japan Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot ac wedi iddynt ei ddefnyddio roedd modd iddynt gwblhau'r weithred o symud ty, proses a ddaliwyd yn ôl gan broblemau canclwm.
Dywedodd y cwpl fod prisiau "hynod o gystadleuol" y cyngor wedi creu argraff arnynt ynghyd â'r "gwasanaeth rhagorol” dderbynion nhw gan y staff.
Archwilwyr o oes Fictoria gyflwynodd Canclwm Japan (Fallopia japonica) â'i flodau diniwed yr olwg sy'n hufen eu lliw, i Brydain o'r dwyrain pell.
Ond ymwthiodd o erddi cywrain a dangosodd y planhigyn hwn ei wir liwiau fel pla anodd ei ddifa y gall ei goesynnau sy'n tyfu'n gyflym dyfu trwy concrid wedi cracio, tarmac a gwaith brics.
Yn gynharach eleni, sefydlodd Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot Wasanaeth Rheoli a Thrin Canclwm Japan er mwyn cynorthwyo pobl yn yr ardal i ddelio â'r planhigyn ymledol hwn.
Daeth y cwpl o Sgiwen yn un o'i gwsmeriaid cyntaf wedi i Ganclwm Japan gael ei ddarganfod mewn ty cyfagos, ac roedd yn ymddangos y byddai'n rhaid iddynt ohirio gwerthiant eu ty am fod benthycwyr morgeisi'n gyndyn i fenthyg arian i ddarpar brynwyr.
Aethant at y cyngor am help a gwnaeth staff y gwasanaeth trin a rheoli ddatrys y broblem yn gyflym trwy osod cynllun rheoli manwl yn ei le ar gyfer y chwynnyn - ynghyd â'r gwaith papur.
Derbyniodd y cwmni morgais gynllun triniaeth y cyngor "yn ddi-gwestiwn" a gwerthwyd y ty'n llwyddiannus.
Mewn llythyr i Adran Amgylchedd y cyngor dywedodd y cwpl bodlon, “Hoffai fy ngwraig a mi ddiolch yn ddiffuant am y gwasanaeth rhagorol dderbynion ni gan aelodau eich adran.
"Heb eu hymateb cyflym ac effeithlon nhw does gen i ddim amheuaeth na fyddem wedi llwyddo i werthu ein ty hyd nes i broblem y Canclwm Japan gael ei datrys.
“Bonws ychwanegol oedd bod cost y rhaglen yn gystadleuol iawn.
"Yn fy mhrofiad i, mae'n anarferol iawn i ddod o hyd i bobl sy'n abl ac yn fodlon gwneud eu gwaith mor fedrus a brwdfrydig fel eich staff chi.
"Mae fy mhrofiad i o'ch sefydliad yn cymharu'n dda gyda’m profiadau diweddar â chwmnïau’r sector preifat mewn amrywiol ddiwydiannau. Mae'n fwy hynod fyth o ystyried y cyfyngiadau ariannol difrifol sydd wedi eu gorfodi ar awdurdodau cyhoeddus gan lywodraeth ganolog."
Meddai'r Cynghorydd Des Davies, Aelod Cabinet Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot dros Ddiogelwch Cymunedol a Diogelu'r Cyhoedd, “Pan gaiff Canclwm Japan ei ganfod ar eiddo, bydd benthycwr morgeisi'n aml yn gwrthod benthyca arian. Efallai bydd rhai benthycwyr morgeisi'n benthyca os oes cynllun rheoli ar waith yn unig.
“Y rheswm am hyn yw am fod canclwm yn risg annerbyniol i rai benthycwyr. Gall Canclwm Japan, os na chaiff ei drin, beri difrod sylweddol i eiddo, a lleihau ei werth yn sylweddol.”
Gellir cyrraedd gwasanaeth triniaeth y cyngor drwy ei wefan yn https://www.npt.gov.uk/japaneseknotweed
Gwasanaeth y telir amdano yw hwn yn hytrach nag un i ddelio â chwynion am eiddo cyfagos (sy'n faterion cyfraith sifil neu anghydfodau preifat). Fe'i cyfyngir ar hyn o bryd hefyd i erddi preswyl.
Fodd bynnag, gall perchnogion tir wahodd y cyngor i dir i ddechrau i roi dyfynbris. Os yw perchnogion tir yn derbyn y dyfynbris ac am fwrw ymlaen â'r gwaith, maent yn talu ar-lein a bydd y cyngor yn dod i'w heiddo ac yn darparu cynllun rheoli a thrin ac yn dechrau ar y driniaeth.
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